Monday, May 9, 2011

Could someone I.D. this mayfly?

I hit the local creek tonight around 8:45pm and these things were coming off like crazy. They were varying in size from a 14 to a 16 and had really big wings. Could it be an eastern green drake? I honestly have no idea.

They got a little crushed because I put them in some cellophane I found lying on the ground and placed them in the freezer to calm them down a little bit before snapping the pics.I didn't have anything closely resembling them in my fly box, but the fish were going bonkers on them, even in the pitch black darkness.

I did some research, and I think you're right, Co. I think it's an eastern green drake, unless someone else can prove me wrong. I know the EGD nymph is really light cream colored, and I did come across a big milky white colored nymph when turning over rocks in the same creek over the weekend. hmmm..

I would concur with the EGD diagnosis, but in the end it probably doesn't matter much as long as you can tie something to match it. I'm pretty sure you can fit that bill. Sounds like fishing could be fun when they're coming off.

For being that big, Ill say drake too. Seems pretty early in the year, around here the drakes pop in the fall.. Also its hard to tell if the samples you took have discolored since thier death, a grey drake could become yellow over a few hours time. Same with a green drake.. Hell maybe its a yellow drake!

The wings look like they might have more green in them than I've seen on the light cahill. Cahill have a touch of green near the wing "post" these seem to me to have green more throughout the wing. Or it's the crappy Mac I'm using, lol.